Ep.201 Midlife Health Without the Noise: Hormones, GLP-1s, and Why You Don't Feel Better

If midlife wellness feels overwhelming, you’re not imagining it.

Everyone has an opinion. Every scroll brings a new protocol. Eat this. Don’t eat that. Lift heavier. Do less. Fix your hormones. Try this supplement.

And most women? They’re trying to do all of it—and still not feeling better.

In this episode of Asking for a Friend, Michele sits down with Raquel Cartagena and Kristin Brucker, hosts of the Functional Moms Podcast, to cut through the noise and have an honest conversation about what it really takes to feel good in midlife.

This is not a surface-level conversation. It’s real, nuanced, and at times uncomfortable—because the truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

We cover:

•  Why midlife health feels so confusing and overwhelming 
•  The biggest missing piece for women over 40 (and it’s not another diet) 
•  Functional medicine vs. traditional health approaches 
•  The reality behind GLP-1s—benefits, concerns, and real-world experiences 
•  Blood sugar, CGMs, and why “healthy foods” don’t always work for your body 
•  Fiber, protein, and the habits that actually move the needle 
•  Alcohol in midlife—and the trade-offs most women ignore 
•  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): what to consider and why it’s not one-size-fits-all 
•  Supplements: what actually matters vs. what’s just noise 
•  Longevity strategies to stay strong, capable, and independent 

This episode is about taking your power back—learning to filter the noise, understand your body, and build a lifestyle that actually works for you.

Functional Moms - https://functionalmoms.com/

https://www.instagram.com/functionalmomspodcast/

Save 25 percent off every supplement order courtesy of the Functional Moms:

Functional Moms Fullscript Store

Michelle Doel and Alicia Harding

Metabolism Mastery Class with CGM

https://www.instagram.com/metabolism_mastery_coaches/

https://metabolism-mastery.com/

_________________________________________
If you’re doing “all the right things” and still feel stuck, adding a layer of support may be an option. I’ve partnered with a trusted telehealth platform offering modern solutions for women in midlife—including micro-dosed GLP-1 and other peptide therapies.

https://elliemd.com/michelefolan - Create a free account to view all products.

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/askingforafriend_pod/

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https://michelefolanfasterway.myflodesk.com/i6i44jw4fq

Like to connect? Email me at [e-mail] 

Transcripts are created with AI and may not be perfectly accurate.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Episode Transcript

Michele Folan (00:00):
The information shared on this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not be considered medical
advice.
Please consult a qualifiedhealthcare professional
regarding your individual healthneeds.
Let's talk about peptides,because they're not just GLP
ones.
Your body actually makespeptides naturally.
They're messengers that helpregulate things like fat

(00:22):
metabolism, muscle growth, skinhealth, recovery, and energy.

But here's the truth (00:27):
just like hormones, collagen, and muscle,
peptide production declines aswe age, especially
postmenopause.
So if you're feeling stuck,belly fat that won't budge,
slower recovery, low energy, orskin that just isn't bouncing
back like it used to, this mightbe a missing piece.
And no, this isn't aboutshortcuts.

(00:48):
Lifestyle still comes first.
Strength training, protein,sleep, stress management,
always.
But peptides can be a smartlayer on top of that foundation.
Not interested in a GLP1?
Totally fine.
There are other options thatsupport fat metabolism,
recovery, cognitive function,and healthy aging.

(01:09):
The key is quality and workingwith a trusted medical provider.
That's why I've partnered withLEMD to bring you clinically
guided, personalized peptideoptions that actually make sense
for midlife women.
And if you're curious, checkthe link in the show notes and
learn what might be right foryou.
Health, wellness, fitness, andeverything in between.

(01:36):
We're removing the taboo fromwhat really matters in midlife.
I'm your host, Michele Folan,and this is Asking for a Friend.
Let's just say it.
Everyone has an opinion,everyone has a protocol,

(01:57):
everyone is telling you what youshould be doing.
Eat this, don't eat that, liftheavy, don't overtrain, take
these supplements, fix yourhormones, and most women are out
there trying to do it all andstill wondering why they don't
feel better.
Because it's not justconfusing, it's exhausting.
And at some point you start toquestion, is it me or is this

(02:18):
just not working?
So today we're cutting throughall that.
I'm joined by Raquel Cartagenaand Kristin Brucker, hosts of
the Functional Moms Podcast, andthey've built a following by
keeping it real about what itactually takes to age well.
They're in it, they're livingit, they're working with women
every day who are trying tofigure this out in real life,

(02:39):
not in some perfect Instagramversion.
Raquel and Kristen, welcome toAsking for a Friend.
Thank you, Michele.
We're excited to be here.

Raquel Cartagena (02:48):
Yes, no more.

Michele Folan (02:50):
So I was excited about having you ladies on
because you're in this space.
So you're you're podcasters,first of all.
And you all have a backgroundin functional health.
So I think that's a great placeto start.
Could you tell us a little bitmore about you, your education,
and even where you live?
Because I always think that'sinteresting.

Kristin Brucker (03:12):
Sure.
I'll go first.
I'm uh I'm Kristen.
I live in New Jersey, and Iactually met uh Raquel through
Functional Medicine CoachingAcademy.
There were people all over theworld in the course, and we both
happened to be from New Jersey,which was kind of exciting.
And I joined FunctionalMedicine Coaching Academy

(03:32):
because I had an interest infunctional medicine and it
really had changed my life as apatient.
So I wanted to be able to helpother people and spread the good
news.
I really didn't understand whathealth coaching was when I
enjoyed rolled in the program.
Once I got in there, I realizedthat it was a lot different

(03:53):
than I thought.
I thought I was really gonna belearning about educational
pieces to educate people.
And yes, there's some of that,but the majority of the coaching
was letting people exploreareas that they want to explore
and work on what they want tofocus on.
It wasn't like if you're anutritionist, you give everybody
a nutrition plan and you'regonna say, hey, follow this.

(04:14):
It was more like, okay, what doyou want to work with?
It was what do you want tostart with?
And in functional medicinehealth coaching, it's all the
core lifestyle pieces, is reallythe crux of functional medicine
because functional medicine isroot-cause medicine.
Um, so the core things aresleep, nutrition, your fitness,
your stress, and yourrelationships.
And there's a lot to work withthere for everybody.

(04:37):
And it's the areas that yourdoctor's not gonna necessarily
work with you on.
They're not gonna talk to younecessarily about all those
things when you go in for yourannual physical.
They more look at your bloodwork and things like that.
So it was very exciting.
But when we graduated, peoplewere like, What's functional
medicine and what's healthcoaching?
Raquel and I both were sort oflike, okay, so what do we do

(04:58):
now?
And thus the podcast ended upbeing born from that.
And we together went on amission to really help women.
And then at that time, uh theperimenopause conversation
started to explode.
This was about how many yearsago, Raquel?
Like three and a half yearsago, I guess we started all
this.
Yes.
And so we ended up just reallytapping into that.

(05:19):
We knew we wanted to helppeople 40 plus, women 40 plus
specifically, because that wasour age group too.
And that's that's how we gotstarted.

Michele Folan (05:28):
Very interesting.
Raquel, you have a littledifferent background, right?

Raquel Cartagena (05:32):
Yes.
So my background first, hi, I'mRaquel.
And uh my background is I uhfirst of all, my first thing is
I'm a mom.
I'm a mom of four.
And uh I got into fitness.
I became a single mom and I hadto figure out, you know, how
was I gonna take care of myfamily?

(05:53):
And uh there was a local gymthat had childcare.
And I thought, well, if I workhere, I'd still be able to be
with my kids.
And, you know, that'soriginally how the journey
started.
I got into fitness.
And also I thought, you know,it was a very hard time in my
life.
It wasn't what I wanted, right?
To, you know, my marriage toend and all that.

(06:14):
But I I knew it was gonna behard, obviously.
But I thought if I will, if Igot into fitness, I would be
forced to, first of all,nobody's gonna hire an
out-of-shape trainer.
So it would force me to alwaysprioritize my myself in my
health, which my kids would needme to do so that I can be a
great mom.
And also, you know, I wouldhave to have a smile on my face.

(06:36):
And I just thought all thesethings are gonna help me create
the life, the next chapter, andyou know, so that I I had a
foundation to work with.
So that was the beginning.
I got into fitness.
That was in 2007.
I became a certified trainer,and that started.
I worked at a gym, like a boxgym, and for like two years, and

(06:58):
uh, and then I started my ownpractice.
And I also went back to becomean older adult and senior
fitness specialist because mygoal was to make sure my kids
get on the bus.
I wanted to get them on the busand I wanted to be there when
they got home and get them offthe bus.
And so I thought, and I startedlooking at the clients.

(07:19):
Most of my clients at the gymwere women that were 40 and
over.
And I thought, well, that'sinteresting.
And I liked working with thatpopulation.
At the time, I was 41.
Okay.
And this was all going down.
And so I went back and I gotcertified as an older adult and
senior fitness specialist.
And I really loved that.

(07:40):
And so that population, like,they don't want to work out
super early and they don't wantto work out super late.
It was right in the smack ofthe place where I needed them to
be.
And so hence I did that formany years.
And I started a fit mom camp uhwhen my kids got a little
older, and that was a greatsuccess.

(08:00):
Started this fit mom camp andit was 30-minute increments, and
it was amazing like how manywomen came out to be in the fit
mom camp.
And it was an eye-opener for mebecause it was, I got to meet
all these women and I would sayto them, like, why are you here?

(08:21):
Why, why, you know, well, Iwant to lose weight.
Yeah, but why do you want tolose weight?
Like, you know, what is the,you know, and it always came
down to I want to be strong, Iwant to be healthy, I I need to
block out time for myself.
And the 30 minutes was greatbecause it was like you were in
and out.
Yeah.
Uh, and that was really great,but it also made me aware of how

(08:45):
women were running in and out.
They gave themselves that 30minutes.
And that's it was like in andout, and but they were like
running that hamster wheel.
And I was like, wow, becausethey would, I've had so many
women that, you know, shredded abunch of weight, then they
would disappear, then they wouldcome back back to where they
were.
And it was like this viciouscycle, and they were just so

(09:09):
frustrated, and I was frustratedalong with them.
And I just felt like, you know,fitness is an important piece,
but it wasn't everything.
And then COVID hit and I had toshut down the gym, like
everything shut down, right?
So I had to shut down the gym.
And I thought to myself, duringCOVID, I thought to myself, if

(09:29):
there is something, what if I,you know, when this is obviously
this is going to end at somepoint.
And on the other side of this,if this is what I wanted to do
and I just wanted to do fitness,great, then go at it, right?
Stick with it.
But if there's something else,what would it be?
And I just felt that there wassomething missing.
And I I didn't know what itwas, so I just started looking

(09:52):
and I started looking into likelifestyle coaching and just all
these other things.
And there was like nutrition,and I'm like, yeah, but it
wasn't that.
And then I was talking to adear friend of mine, actually,
she was a guest, um, Erin Falco,and uh she opened my eyes to
the functional medicine, and Ilooked into functional medicine
and I was like blown awaybecause of the piece of the

(10:16):
psychological piece.
Yeah, you know, the piece thatyou have the answers within
yourself.
You know, that's why, as healthcoaches, functional medicine
health coaches, we're not gonnacoach you and tell you what to
do.
No, we're there to listen towhere you're at and then help

(10:37):
you put the pieces together byjust listening and asking the
questions that will help leadyou to what is best for you
because you actually do have theanswers, but we don't really
take the time to listen toourselves because we're so busy,
you know, running from oneerrand to the next errand.

(10:58):
And so that's where I metKristen and uh we were getting
ready to graduate, and I thoughtto myself, it was a year on a
year, it was a full yearprogram, and it was amazing.

Kristin Brucker (11:10):
Like it changed our lives.
Like we always say it was thebest thing we never knew we
needed.

Raquel Cartagena (11:14):
Yeah, 100%.

Kristin Brucker (11:16):
And I I didn't highlight a big piece of it is
also positive psychology,incorporating that into while
you're trying to make thebehavior change.
So it it really changes amindset.

Raquel Cartagena (11:25):
Yeah, yeah.
That that was the piece that Ireally felt was like my aha
moment because I felt that a lotof the work that I did with
those women in the fit mom camp,I felt like we were out on the
gym, but I felt that the thebiggest meat of it was I would
meet with every woman in myoffice.
If they came to the camp, theyhad to sit down, they had to
block out time to meet with me.

(11:46):
I wanted to know what you were,who you were, and what your
story was.
And it helped a lot, but therewas things, there were things
that I didn't know.
And at the time, I if I hadknown, I would have, you know,
but I had to go through that tounderstand what I didn't know
was that instead of me tellingthem what to do in my office, it

(12:07):
would have been like, what doyou want?
What do you know, and what doyou think is the next step for
that?
Yeah.
Ask the right questions insteadof saying, Well, if that's what
you want, then this is what youhave to do.

Michele Folan (12:17):
Yeah.
Instead of being prescriptive,you are helping them have buy-in
into the process.
And I I I want to mention thistoo.
And this is this was a keytakeaway when I was, you know,
heavy into coaching.
I still am, I still have my 34or so clients that I'm still
working with, but I'm not takingnew clients right now.

(12:37):
But the one thing that I willsay is you gotta get to know
what's really holding peopleback.
And, you know, we've gotta diginto, you know, is there a
history of disordered eating?
Is there, you know, was thereabuse somewhere somewhere along
the line?
Um, what have you tried?

(12:59):
You know, all those things andand piecing together a story so
that you can move forward andand help them have buy into
that.
So yeah, I think that's that'sreally great.
So, all right, women feel likethey are doing all the things.
So they come to see you orthey're listening to your

(13:19):
podcast.
And I know you talk to a lot ofwomen.
What are you seeing in terms ofwhat is the biggest piece
that's missing?
Why are women feeling sooverwhelmed right now?

Speaker (13:31):
For me, the first thing that comes to mind when you
said that was what why do womenfeel so overwhelmed?
I think because there's so muchinformation coming at us from
all different directions, right?
Especially obviously more nowthan ever with you know social
media and such.
And you there's so manydifferent opinions and all

(13:53):
different types of peopletelling you all different types
of things.
That's one piece.
Then you have if you know, ifyou're a mom, you have your
family that you're caring for.
And then if you have parents,then you have your parents, and
then you have your home that youhave to say, you know, there's
so many things coming at us.
So it's not, you know, don'tfeel weird if you're feeling

(14:14):
overwhelmed.
If you weren't feelingoverwhelmed, you'd be weird,
right?
So that's the first thing.
So, but I think that it'sagain, I I I I think it all goes
back to taking the time to justuh shut everything down and
listen to yourself.

(14:34):
That is, isn't that like that'sthe core of functional medicine
health coaching is stopping thenoise and listening to yourself
and then asking what's what'sright for me, right?
Because this might be right forthat person, that might be
right for that person.
And then we think, like, oh,that's what I should be doing.
Well, I should be doing that, Ishould be doing that, I should
be doing that.
Like, right, stop.

Kristin Brucker (14:55):
Yeah, and it's true.
Like, we really have learnedjust from interviewing so many
guests that everyone is sobioindividual that you could
reverse your diabetes on a vegandiet, or you could reverse it
on a keto diet, or you could,you know, there's like so many
different options, and that'swhat's really frustrating for
people because so I think takingtime to tap into yourself,

(15:17):
giving connect with your bodysometimes.
We're so disconnected.
I mean, we're running from thisthing to that thing, that you
know, and we're you're neverlike giving yourself some space
and some time to just connectwith yourself.
And so I think that's a missingpiece that a lot of people
don't have.

Michele Folan (15:31):
And I think we've also it's kind of that suck it
up, you know.
Yes, this is this is what yousigned up for, get over it kind
of mentality.
And and I really think we kindof need to take our power back
um at some point becauseotherwise we we we lose
ourselves and we don't want thatto happen.

Speaker (15:51):
Yeah, I think you're right.
I think I think I think that,you know, they we've been put
Kristen and I were actually justtalking about this before.
We've been put in a positionwhere women get to do it all.

Michele Folan (16:03):
Yeah.
Yep, absolutely.
So what's the one thing womendon't want to hear, but they
need to?

Kristin Brucker (16:12):
I think they they don't want to hear that
there's not a simple answer.
Yeah.
And unfortunately, the answeris it's not simple.
There's a lot of factors, andyou really have to work on
yourself and give yourself thetime and space.
And it doesn't mean that youneed to spend hours on some
morning wellness routine thatyou saw on Instagram.
Like that's definitely not whatwe're saying.

(16:34):
But you definitely have to beable to carve out little pockets
of time, get yourself on thecalendar to really assess where
you're at and then where youwant to go.
And I think that that'ssomething that that's overlooked
sometimes.

Speaker (16:48):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Raquel?
I agree with everything thatKristen just said.
So ditto that.
And um I think another thingthat women don't want to hear,
which includes myself, is am Ireally doing, you know,
depending on what your goal is,like let's just, you know, say,

(17:09):
like, oh my gosh, you know, Ican't get rid of this mellow
belly.
Right.
Right.
So am I really doing all thethings because if there was like
a little camera following mearound, you know, I see myself
sneaking this little thing inthere, this little thing, and
those things accumulate.
So I mean, you know, in thissituation, you can't have your

(17:31):
cake and eat it too, because thethe truth of the matter is that
you're 59, you're not, youknow, 29.
And that, you know, thoselittle things that I'm doing
are, you know, having acumulative effect.

Kristin Brucker (17:46):
So there's a lot less room for error, I
think.
Yeah, it'd be a battle.

Michele Folan (17:51):
Yeah, there's a lot less room for error, and and
I call it the little bit ofthis and a little bit of that.
Yes.
It's it all that adds upthroughout the day.
You know, you grab a handful ofwalnuts as you're passing
through the kitchen, and then anhour later you're going back
through and you're grabbinganother handful of walnuts.
Well, you know, nutritionallydense, but also loaded with

(18:14):
calories.
So it's like you gotta yougotta make sure you're tracking
some of that stuff.

Kristin Brucker (18:19):
Yeah.
Michelle, you had a great postabout peanut butter one time,
how you've been like overoverscooping or whatever.
Like, and that's so true.
I mean, that's been myweakness.
Nuts and nut butters.
Wow.

Speaker (18:30):
Oh, yeah.
Right.
And and you, and the thing isis that we trick ourselves,
right?
And this is like this is thehard truth that we don't want to
hear.
We trick ourselves with like,well, this is healthy, it's good
for you.
So I can do it, right?
It's I'm not, I'm not getting,you know, I'm not having
scoopfuls of, you know, HagenDoss.
I'm having nuts.

Michele Folan (18:49):
I think this is a good segue into the GLP one
conversation because the feelingout there is that people want
the quick fix.
And and it may be in in a lotof cases, GLP ones are being
overused.
You've addressed this topic onyour podcast, I know.

(19:10):
Uh thoughts.
Love to hear what your feelingsare about the GLP ones.

Kristin Brucker (19:14):
So we've had a couple different experts talk
about GLP ones, andspecifically, not even for
people that have a significantamount of weight to lose, even
people that want to lose 10 to20 pounds, somewhere in that
range.
And at the end of the day, likepersonally, we have not used
them, the GLP ones, but do wethink it's an effective tool?
Yes.
Would we consider it?

(19:35):
I would, Raquel.
What do you think?

Speaker (19:37):
So I have considered it many times.
Okay.
I have clients that are on GLPones, you know, and and I've I
see with my own eyes, like, wow.
But then I also know like itcould have some digestive
issues.
I see some of the uh pitfallsof it as well.

(19:57):
And, you know, for me, it'slike I'm just not willing to.
I for me, it's a little bit of,I don't know if it's Russian
roulette.
I, you know, I just I'm justnot there.
I've thought about it, um, youknow, because you know, I I I
struggle like every other woman.
And I'm a trainer.
I'm not supposed to bestruggling with this stuff.

(20:18):
Um yeah, you are but um, but Ido, and and and so I've thought
I've thought about, I was like,wow, well, that's interesting.
Like that this could help melike get rid of the, you know,
the these 10 pounds that I'malways struggling with or
whatever.
But then I go back to the rootcause.
Like, yeah, but why am Istruggling with this time?

(20:40):
Why am I struggling with this?
And every time we have a gueston our show, and you probably
feel this way too, Michelle,like I learned something new.
And I'm like, well, hmm, Iremember, you know, that like we
just learned like that bellyfat could be actually helping
protecting your organs becauseit's holding your your fat cells

(21:00):
are are holding toxins that areprotecting your organs.
So wow, all this this fat mightactually be been here for a
purpose.
Then we found out like, and theway that you would that's why
sometimes it's stubborn fat,belly fat, may is actually maybe
actually there for a reason.

(21:21):
And I was like, wow, that waslike blew my mind when I learned
that.
And then we learned uh thatthrough exercise, through
sweating, pooping, urination,exhaling, like deep breathing,
exhaling with uh, you know, youcan get rid of toxins out of

(21:42):
your body.
So the goal would so that I'mlike, well, you know what?
Instead of taking doing this,you know, thing, maybe I could
just I can go into the sauna, Ican work with my lymphatic
drainage, I can get rid of someof the toxins, be more focused
on getting rid of toxins sothat.
That maybe then that will helpmy stubborn belly fat because

(22:04):
maybe my belly fat's there foran actual reason.

Michele Folan (22:06):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, you know, it where Istruggle though is that we know
that's metabolically active fat,right?
That's the bad fat.
That's the fat we don't wantbecause that is what triggers a
lot of issues uh when it comesto our cardiovascular health,
insulin resistance and you know,and and and I posted this this

(22:30):
week.
So yeah, I I got a uh calciumcardiac score last week.
A woman close to me died at theage of 63 of a heart attack,
um, had no real prior symptomsor anything.
And so, and also someone in myfamily also had a heart attack.
So I was like, ah, you knowwhat?
I'm I'm gonna go out and andget this done.

(22:53):
Uh, Marianne Jacobson, who hasbeen on my podcast, she's a uh
nutritionist, but she alsoreally digs into data.
She's like, you know, you mightwant to rethink that calcium
score because men tend to havelarge vessel disease.
Whereas women, we tend tosuffer from more microvascular

(23:15):
disease.
And so that goes back to thiswhole idea of our metabolic
health.
Yeah, waist circumference,right?
That's the biggie, you know.
If you're carrying it aroundyour middle, that's your your
higher risk, higher risk.
Sure, we got to look at ourlipids, our cholesterol, um,
blood pressure, you know, allthose things make a difference.

(23:36):
See reactive protein, stresslevels, oxidative stress.
You know, those are things thatyou all talk about, I know, a
lot.
And so I did, and I've not toldanybody this, I did try GLP1,
but I did half of the microdose.
So very, very tiny dose.
What I wanted to do, because Ihave clients on it, I wanted to

(23:58):
see what my how my body wouldrespond.
And I didn't get a hugesuppression of appetite with
that small of a dose.
I mean, I was still craving myevening yogurt bar and that kind
of thing.
But what I did notice was lessinflammation.

Kristin Brucker (24:17):
And that's big.
And we've heard that too from alot of our guests.
They said massive lowerinflammation.
And we even had a cancersurvivor that said it lowered
her numbers, like her cancernumbers.
So that is huge.

Michele Folan (24:29):
Yeah.
So you know, the arthritis thatI have in my hands, so much
better.
That puffiness, swelling, thatjust overall, I don't know,
blah, that I get.
That seemed to be much better.
In terms of weight loss, I meanmaybe a couple pounds, but some
of that could have beeninflammation and fluid.

(24:50):
I don't know.
I like some of the long-termdata with these drugs in terms
of the microvascular health forwomen.
Maybe too early to tell, butthere are some studies out there
that are looking rather robust.
So I guess jury's out.

Kristin Brucker (25:07):
I think the jury's totally out on this one.
I will say I struggle with guthealth, and that is one of my
hesitations because I already ama person that's prone to
constipation.
I don't need to be backing upanything more or slowing down my
digestive system.
And that's how you detox too,you know, through poop.
So it's it's important.

Speaker (25:25):
Yeah, that's that's my hesitation as well, is just
messing with my microbiome.
Like I just, I just, you know,I I've been learning different
things, and I'm like, let mejust try, you know.
But I do see a lot of successout there with some of my
clients, and those clients aretraining because they're with
me.
So, you know, I I think whenyou see some of these other

(25:48):
people that, you know, likelet's just say like famous
people that you see on in themedia, and it's kind of scary.
It's like I feel like they'relike walking zombies all around,
and it's like it's you know,that, you know, I think it's
could be a good thing for peoplethat are doing it and and
really paying at, you know, maylike Kristen always talks about

(26:09):
that, you got to be carefulabout the nutrition, the
nutrition aspect, because nowyou don't really maybe it
suppresses your appetite.
And when you do eat, if you'renot eating nutritionally dense
food, you know, you got toreally balance and and pay
attention.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (26:23):
And I and I do tell my clients, I'm like, look,
if you're gonna do this, yougot to prioritize protein every
single meal, particularly in themorning, uh, because that's
when we have that broader windowfor us to really utilize
protein.
But yeah, it if it sometimesyou gotta eat it even if you're
not really hungry.
And that's really hard forpeople because it's seems

(26:45):
counterintuitive to eat whenyou're trying to lose weight,
but it's you we gotta we gottafeed feed ourselves.
So so are you still are youstill doing that?
No, no, no.
So why did you stop?
Why did I stop?
I always more of an experimentmore than anything.
Um now back to the the gutissues.

(27:06):
So I tend to have just theopposite issue where I tend to
be um my it seems like my bowelsare on the gas a lot.
Like they they're I I I'm veryregular.
And it did it did make things alittle more regular, um

(27:26):
slightly, but didn't it didn't Iwasn't taking a large enough
dose to really slow things down.
So yeah, so I I knowgastroparesis is is a side
effect that that can be awful.
Um, so that is that'sdefinitely something to be aware
of with this class of drugs.
So but I'm glad we talked aboutthis because I think there's

(27:49):
there's some some validity toeverything that's out there and
it's really a personal choicefor people that wanna to do it.

Speaker (27:58):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think it's a personal choice,yeah.

Michele Folan (28:02):
Yeah.
And you know, let's let's talkabout nutrition while we're you
know talking about GLP ones.
How have your own eating habitsevolved now that you've been
doing what you're doing?

Speaker (28:16):
Well, for me, my eating habits have evolved since I've
learned more about tracking,specifically with uh the
continuous glucose monitor,which uh Kristen has been more
schooled about it.
I never really did it, and Ijust um we just joined a group

(28:38):
and learned so much about myblood sugar and having this
monitor uh really opened myeyes.
And this is all because of whatyou just spoke about, Michelle,
which is like the wholemetabolic health, because my
metabolic health, my mom is likethat, and I know that you know,
genetics load the gun, but youknow, uh lifestyle pulls the

(29:02):
trigger.
Yeah, I love that analogy.
So understanding about thewhole glucose and insulin and
learning that whole piece hasbeen such a game changer, and
food that I thought, well, thisisn't that bad, was like spiking
my blood sugar like out of myradar.

(29:24):
And I was like, wow, I had noidea.
So tracking that has been suchan eye-opener, and when you put
the monitor on, it's you keep iton for two weeks.
So you just eat regular, right?
Because you want to see likehow you eat normally, like what
was actually this is what's beenhappening in my life.
It's like giant, not littlesmall, uh, what do you call

(29:49):
them, uh, Kristen?
Rolling hills.

Kristin Brucker (29:51):
We want we are rolling hills, not sharp, steep
cliffs.

Speaker (29:55):
Yeah, and so I was having some of the sharp, steep
cliffs.

Kristin Brucker (29:59):
Yeah, and it and you don't know.
I mean, I think this could be ahuge missing piece for a lot of
women that are battling eitherweight issues, metabolic issues.
It's you don't know until youput that thing on, and then you
realize and healthy foods, likefor example, sweet potato will
spike me really high.
And that's a health food,right?
It has fiber, it's a you know,it's a good food.

(30:21):
Right.
But um, you know, and and thereare tricks.
Uh, of course, walking aftermeals is huge.
Yeah.
And I've been trying toincorporate that more and more
because you'll see it on theCGM.
You'll see literally how itjust brings your sugar right
down, and it's amazing.

Speaker (30:35):
Yeah.
And so, and so the first twoweeks you just eat regularly and
you can see, like, then thecool thing is is that you can
with with with the one that weused, which was uh, which was
the one that we use, KristenStello.

Kristin Brucker (30:47):
It's over the counter too.

Speaker (30:48):
You can just get it.
You're able, you can take apicture of each meal and it
documents it, and then you cansee from when you ate that meal
how your blood sugar spiked.
And so I we did that, I didthat for two weeks, and then the
following two weeks, now Istart making the adjustments and
try to eat more of the foodsthat didn't that had me on a

(31:09):
nice rolling hill and kept myblood sugar.
And so that was such a hugeeye-opener.
It doesn't mean that you know,I never ate the food again that
spiked me, but just you know, Iwould eat less of it just I
didn't want to eat, I didn'twant to eat because I now knew
what it was doing.

Kristin Brucker (31:27):
And the other thing is that lowers your
inflammation a lot.
Like if you really start towork on that, you're gonna
notice that some of that bodypain and those things that just
come on, and we think, oh, we'rejust getting old.
Well, it's inflammation.

Michele Folan (31:40):
Yeah.
So there's also something else,too.
That blood sugar spike that youget comes with a crash.
And you don't feel well, likeyou lose energy.
That's where that two in theafternoon slump comes in.
And when you start eatingfoods, particularly if you're
getting in more protein at lunchso that you don't get that

(32:01):
slump in the afternoon, yourenergy goes through the roof.
I mean, it it really isamazing.
I had um Dr.
Paul Kalazic, and he uses a CGMto help people in their weight
loss efforts.
And so if you're if you're notgoing to do a GLP1 or something
like that, but just learningmore about how your body behaves

(32:23):
with certain foods can mentallyput you in a better place to
make better decisions.
And uh it's fascinating.
Yeah, I did I did um uh amonitor for a good month and it
was it was really interesting.
I'm glad I did that though,because it it really gave me a
frame of reference around, youknow, what I was eating.

Speaker (32:45):
And yeah, it's it's it's definitely a powerful tool
to have in your toolbox, that isfor sure.
So that was that was uh oneplace where I made a lot of
nutritional choices because ofthat feedback.

Michele Folan (32:59):
How about fiber?
You all talk about fiber.
What's your what are yourthoughts on fiber?
How do you how are you gettingmore in your diet?
Because I know 25 to 35 gramsis really hard for a lot of
women.
Most women get between 12 and14 grams a day.

Kristin Brucker (33:13):
I think it's really hard.
And uh we were so focused onprotein that we were not really
paying attention to fiber.
And I'm gonna put myself outthere again.
My my gut issues, not good forme.
Like the high protein, no, thatwas not working.
Yeah.
So I had to really be moreconscious of my fiber.
And it, I think when youactually look at how much fiber

(33:36):
is in things, you'll be shockedhow low it can be.
You know, a plate of greens isnot gonna really get you much
fiber.
So if you're having a salad,you think you're good, but not
at all.
Um, and Raquel, you had a goodhack by using ChatGPT.
Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker (33:50):
I just I told ChatGPT I really need to up my fiber
intake.
And I just asked for a dairytheory, uh, a dietary plan with,
you know, that wouldincorporate what, you know,
certain amount of protein,certain amount of fiber.
And it gave me a good meal planfor the day.

Michele Folan (34:09):
Yeah, that's great.
I I love, I love chat.
I gave my clients a a chatresponse where they would go in
and answer all these questionsto help them.
Like, let's let's really honein on your macros.
Let's see if we can get theseeven more tight.
And uh, so I chat can, it'ssuch a great resource for this

(34:30):
kind of stuff.
It's like, I don't want it toput us all out of business, but
it it really can um help people.

Kristin Brucker (34:36):
My husband just went for his annual physical
and the doc and he needs to loseabout 10 pounds or so.
And the doctor said, use chat.
That's what he suggested.

Michele Folan (34:44):
Yeah, there you go.
There you go.
One thing, and I of coursegetting fiber from real food is
always the goal, but there is afiber supplement that I like
really well.
It's Garden of Life, and it'stheir raw, organic fiber.
And I add that to smoothies.
I guess you could put it inoatmeal or other things like

(35:07):
that.

Kristin Brucker (35:07):
But okay, I use basil seeds.
I'll throw that out there, thatthey are very high in fiber.
I think about 15 grams uh fortwo tablespoons, and that and
that'll get you, you know, likehalfway there just in your
smoothie if you can't.
But I would go slow.
You don't with always withfiber, you slowly increase
because it can definitely throwoff your gut.

(35:27):
You could end up horriblybloated and constipated or
having diarrhea.
So you gotta be careful withthat.
But and the other thing, our alot of our guests have
highlighted that fiber is soimportant for your hormone
regulation and for helping withyour estrogen metabolism and all
of that.
It's very important.
So it's true when theconversation about protein

(35:48):
started to really spike, weneeded to add that fiber piece
that's very important.

Michele Folan (35:52):
Yeah.
All right, I'm gonna talk aboutalcohol because this is the one
thing that I think it holdsback so many women.
I hate to say it, that theyfeel like they've earned that
glass of wine or that cocktailat night after a hard day.
And I I know they they probablyhave earned that.

(36:16):
But what are your thoughtsabout it comes with the cost?
Yeah, it comes with the cost.
So I was gonna, yeah, like isthere a level that's fine, or
should women be rethinking itall together?
What are your thoughts?

Kristin Brucker (36:28):
I think like anything, it's so individual,
but I'll just put myself like Iso I was that person.
I would come home, or I I was astay-at-home mom.
So I would be like waitinguntil like six o'clock, and I'd
be like, okay, I'm gonna have aglass of wine now while I make
dinner or something.
I've I've been in thatsituation before.
I used to think wine was likesuper healthy.

(36:49):
And I was, you know, I was likeinto functional medicine, like
a lot.
So I changed my diet and allthat stuff, but the alcohol was
still there, like because Ithought, oh, it's healthy, like
I'll have a glass of wine withmy meal or whatever.
Um, I guess I would say COVIDwas like the peak for me of
drinking, and I think it was fora lot of people.
And yeah, and then so, so fromthen that point on, I started at

(37:12):
some point to rethink it.
I had the gut issues.
I knew I shouldn't be drinking.
Like I was like, I reallyshouldn't be doing this.
So I started to experimentwhere I would just do the dry
January or I would do dryJanuary, February.
My social group where I live,alcohol is a very big part of
it.
Like people drink around here alot where I live.
It's you know, it's part ofevery social occasion.

(37:35):
But recently I've noticed a lotof people cutting back, a lot
of people quitting altogether.
So I think it's good.
I think it's a good awarenessand conversation.
I do still drink, but I drinkway less than I used to, I would
say.
Yeah.

Speaker (37:49):
Yeah.
Uh so I was never really muchof a drinker to begin with.
I did other things.
That's where I was.
Told you this is going to behonest.
But you know, the thing is, islike, uh, I don't know, at a
certain point, like if I had uhI would get sick the next day

(38:11):
out of nowhere.
This started happening to me.
So that was one thing.
The other thing was that um Iwas, you know, I would go, I
still go out.
People don't realize that I'mnot drinking because I'll order,
I'll go to the bar and I'll askfor a nice glass.
I want seltzer with a splash ofcranberry with lemon and lime,
and it looks like a drink.

(38:31):
And I have a great time.
No one, you know, has any cluethat I am, you know, not drink
drinking, except for like myreally close friends.
They know I don't really drink.
So, you know, that's my my takeon it.
But we've had so many guests onour podcast that talked about

(38:53):
alcohol and like even for me,like so, for example, New Year's
Eve.
Even when I was younger, itjust never made any sense that
you would drink so much that youwould be so hungover on the
first day of the new year.
Right.
So I just like that never madesense to me.
So I was never really a part ofthat thing.

(39:14):
You know, I I I used to smokeweed.
That was my thing.
Only because I would take adrag and I would hold my breath,
exhale, and I was good.
So to me, it was like I didn't,it was like minimal damage if I
wanted to feel like a littlelike whatever.
Uh, so you know, that'sbasically my personal
experience.

Kristin Brucker (39:34):
You know, one thing more and more people are
saying that with these trackersfor, you know, I wear the aura
ring, um, Raquel has the GarminWatch, yes, your metrics go down
terribly.
I mean, even after a glass,maybe, depending.
So and I can see it.
I mean, I'm 49, I can see it.
Like as I enter my 50, just theolder you get, the the harder
it is on your body.

(39:54):
And it's just your bodystruggling to process it.
So for sure, the trackers Ithink help people cut back.
And I've talked to a lot ofpeople that have said that, that
they noticed how bad their HRVwould be or something after
drinking, and that it encouragedthem to cut back.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (40:08):
Yeah.
And it it if you track yoursleep, it's like kind of like
tracking your blood sugar.
If you track your sleep and youkeep tabs on what you had to
drink the night before and thedestruction of your REM and your
deep sleep, it will really makeyou rethink this.
Now, a friend of mine is asleep coach and she she said she

(40:33):
still has an occasional drink,but she'll have to have it by
six o'clock.
Otherwise, it affects hersleep, even just one drink.
My husband and I went out lastnight celebrating the 200th
episode of the podcast, and Idid have a cocktail last night,
which is not usual during theweek.
And but I had it by sixo'clock, and so my sleep was

(40:56):
fine last night.
But you're you're rolling thedice because sleep is paramount.
It is probably the mostimportant thing for us as women
to minimize our stress levels,to repair, regulate our blood
sugar, everything, everything.

(41:17):
You know, you sleep poorly, youmake poor bad food choices the
next day.
I mean, it's just it's justsnowball.
So um, yeah, I just think therethinking of alcohol and what
role it really plays in yourlife and finding good
alternatives.
You know, Raquel, you do the,and that's I love that.
That's that's my go-to.

(41:38):
Soda water with a littlecranberry juice and some lemon
or lime.
And yeah, it's that's veryrefreshing.
I do that here at home.

Speaker (41:45):
And you know what's interesting?
Like, if you go out to like ifyou're at a restaurant or to at
a bar or whatever, and you orderthis drink with I I have to
tell them I want it in a niceglass because they'll give you
like everybody else gets a uh,you know, a cocktail, a really
nice cocktail glass.
And then if you order a soda,you like you stick out like a
sore thumb.
They give you like this, thislike different the plastic

(42:08):
exactly, right?
It says Pepsi on the side, andI'll say, like, I want this
drink and I want it in a nice,like, cocktail glass.
Yeah.
Because, you know, and so youcan enjoy your and and listen,
I'm not saying I I just likeyou, like I can if I feel like
I'm like, oh, I feel like havinga little something, I'll have a
cocktail.
But just because I know thatthe next day it really does

(42:31):
affect me for whatever reason, Ibecome very sensitive.

Kristin Brucker (42:34):
Yeah, like I know I'm gonna pay.
I mean, sometimes is it worthit to me?
Maybe, yeah.
I'll be totally honest.
Like if I'm going out with myfriends and like we want to
have, you know, some wine orwhatever, I'm like, fine, I'm
gonna do it.
But but it's not something I'mgonna do every day.
It's not gonna be a part oflike my you know daily routine,
which at times in my life it hasbeen.
So yeah.

Michele Folan (42:53):
Yeah.
Well, and then this is this isthe other thing, is the fact
that and I my my audience hasheard me say this a million
times, so they're gonna be like,okay, Michelle, be quiet.
Your body sees it as a toxin.
So if you're having food, it'syour body is gonna metabolize
that alcohol first, and thatfood is gonna sit and wait and

(43:17):
wait and likely get stored asfat.
So from a from a vanityperspective, I always try to use
that as leverage.

Kristin Brucker (43:26):
Yeah, totally true.

Michele Folan (43:28):
Yeah.
All right.
HRT.
Um, either of you on anyhormone replacement therapy at
this point?

Kristin Brucker (43:35):
I I take compounded progesterone and I
have for a while.

Speaker (43:39):
I have not taken anything.
I started learning about thislike three years ago, Kristen.
Was that when we had like theuh who uh they're not together
anymore, but no, wisen well uhMaria and Kristen.
Yeah, however, you know, and umdeep like I'm so um the With

(44:00):
perimenopause.
I I'm in menopause.
I've been in menopause for over10 years now.
So up, you know, I'm not surethat that boat has sailed for me
because there's differentviewpoints on that.
If a woman, you know, at thispoint would, you know, should be
taking HRT.
And uh, but right now, um, I amnot taking H.

(44:22):
I think about it sometimes.
I'm like, I wonder how thatwould, you know, be helpful.
And uh I'm a little bit like,if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Michele Folan (44:33):
Yeah.
Well, I think sometimes too,it's what you don't see.
And it's the the cardiovascularrisks of not being on estrogen,
bone, you know, those yeah,yeah.
I had hysterectomy in 2021.
So I'm on estrogen,progesterone, and also
testosterone.
So I do a topical testosterone,rub that into my thighs.

(44:57):
I've I've told the story beforemy levels got a little too
high.
And so you know where I waslike, man, I like I had a sex
drive.
Like, you I mean, I was like, Iwas like, I was 20 again.
This is awesome.
Um, my husband loved it, but Iknew something wasn't right.

(45:17):
So I went to the doctor.
I was like, you better check mytestosterone.
I think it's high.
It was, it was a little high.
Um, so I just backed the dosedown.
It wasn't really a big deal,but but yeah, I am on estrogen
and I have I have osteoporosis,and then I just for continual
heart health.
And I, you know, the more Iread and and and Raquel, I

(45:39):
think, you know, there's thejury is out on, you know, what
what is the what what's too old,right?
After 60, after 10 years, youknow.
But I think that door keepsopening wider and wider and
wider for people to, you know,get get started on it.

Kristin Brucker (46:00):
Yeah, we've had a few experts, especially
longevity doctors are interestedreally in optimizing hormones
for people.
And so we had a one guest, uh,I think her name is Dr.
Anjou Matur.
She um was based in LA and shesaid that she had someone like
in her 80s on it.
So it's not like it'scompletely, it's just so
nuanced, just like everything.

(46:20):
It's very, very nuanced.

Michele Folan (46:21):
Yeah, yeah.
And I again, it's knowing thewhole patient, you know, what
are their struggles?
You know, what's familyhistory, you know, all of that
stuff.
It all plays a role.
So um, yeah.
I uh I tell I tell my clientsthat if you're not getting the
answers you want, you need to gofind another doctor.
I had a client recently say,Well, my doctor won't run that

(46:44):
test because he says he doesn'tknow what to do with with the
data.

Speaker (46:49):
Wow.

Michele Folan (46:52):
And when are you going to another doctor?

Kristin Brucker (46:54):
Right.
I know.
It's true.
I mean, even for me, for my umcompound of progesterone, I take
that as through my functionalmedicine doctor.
My traditional OBGYN, they werevery unhelpful when I told them
like my, you know, just thingsthat were going on.
They were just like, well, youknow, sorry, like nothing we can
do.
You're just getting that age.

Michele Folan (47:15):
Yeah.
Well, I had someone say to me,um, well, you don't have a
uterus, you don't needprogesterone.
I'm like, I still get hotflashes, I still have all the
other stuff.

Kristin Brucker (47:26):
Yeah.

Michele Folan (47:26):
So it's it's it's really again, it's the message,
and I know this is yourmessage.
You have to advocate foryourself.
A hundred percent.
It's like you can't expect.

Speaker (47:37):
Yeah.
You have to be curious aboutyour own health and then um, you
know, pull the trigger and takeaction.

Michele Folan (47:44):
What are your thoughts?
And we I have never broachedthis subject.
Well, maybe kind of a littlebit high level with some
functional docs that I had onthe podcast uh a few weeks ago.
Vaccines.
Where do you guys sit onvaccines?

Kristin Brucker (47:58):
I think for me, I I always followed the the
protocols.
Like I, you know, with my kids,I always just was like, okay,
pediatrician, you know best.
Let me get my the vaccines formy kids.
I will add that COVID made merethink things.
And I it it just seemed like,you know, that was being pushed
so hard and then it wasn'tworking.

(48:19):
And I did hesitate with my kidson that.
Like I did not get them, thosevaccines.
I got pushed back from mypediatrician pretty hard.
And then I, so that, you know,that was like really I always
was like maybe a little bitcurious about is it really
impacting health?
Like maybe it is.
I don't, we don't really know.
So I looked at my son's, he wasalmost 18.

(48:39):
He had had 39 vaccine doses at18 years old.
I was like, that's a lot.
Like, I, you know, and I'mlooking at that and I'm like,
that's a significant amount ofdoses.
He didn't even get all of them.
Like, he didn't have a fluevery single year.
He didn't have the COVID shots.
So if he had, it would be evenhigher than that.

(49:00):
And so it just really made mepause and rethink it.
You know, I'm I'm definitelypro-vaccine.
If there's a stance, I don't,you know, but I think that
again, it it it should be lookedat maybe in conjunction.
Are we just adding and addingand adding without really
looking?
How does it all fit together?
That's my concern.

Speaker (49:18):
Okay, Raquel.
Uh, my whole stance aboutvaccines is that I feel like
this is a lot of this is just,you know, I I didn't do any
intense research on this oranything like that.
I'm just saying gut feeling asa mother and just as a human
woman in this world.
I think that there is a spacefor vaccines.

(49:38):
And I think, you know, yearsyonder, yonder, yonder, yonder,
yonder, you know, I think thatthey helped and they there was a
purpose, a real, genuinepurpose, maybe.
As of recent, I just don'treally trust vaccines anymore.
You know, you have CVS textingyou, telling you to get your

(50:03):
vaccine.
You have infomercials tellingyou to tell your doctor to give
you this and I'm just like, whatis the agenda here?
I just feel like it's becomelike a the vaccines are like a
little money-pumping machine ofsome sort.
So I'm not really trusting likethe recent push on vaccines.

(50:23):
I do not get the flu vaccine,it never made sense to me at
all.
I you don't know what flu iscoming.
I I it it it just made nosense.
It made no sense to mewhatsoever.
I never had my kids take theflu vaccine.
My kids, uh, you know, they didget the vaccines at the time,
you know, growing my youngestchild is 21.

(50:45):
So, you know, they got thevaccines that the doctor told me
to do.
I had no idea.
But now with my grandkids,thank God my daughter is totally
on it, and she is more mindfulabout what, you know, my
grandkids are getting.

Kristin Brucker (51:02):
And uh and it's it can be hard to even find a
pediatrician that's on board.
A lot of them won't take you ifyou don't follow their exact
protocol.

Speaker (51:10):
That was her problem.
That that's exactly what sheran into.

Kristin Brucker (51:13):
Yeah.

Michele Folan (51:13):
Yeah.
I think it's really it's it'sit's um teaching our kids to ask
the questions that we'relearning to ask.
Um, you know, the the thedoctors that I had on my podcast
a few weeks ago, they're like,why are they why are they
vaccinating children in thehospital when they're born?

Kristin Brucker (51:32):
The hep B.
That's the hep B.
All my kids have that.
And I, you know, at the time, Ididn't even think about it.
I I was just following whatthey said.
But now, yeah.

Michele Folan (51:40):
Well, of course.
Of course.
I mean, my my kids are, youknow, almost 29 and almost 31.

Speaker (51:46):
I mean, I but but they probably had fear of vaccines,
and kids are getting more thanthe vaccines that they had back
then aren't as many as they'retrying to get.

Kristin Brucker (51:56):
I will say my oldest child and my youngest are
six years apart, and there weremore for like my youngest
versus my in just six years,there were additional ones
added.

Michele Folan (52:05):
Yeah.
You know, and here's the otherthing they tell you to introduce
foods one at a time for babies,but then they're giving them a
jab that's got three differentvaccines in it.
Uh, where is the rationalethere?
So I I have a hard time withthat.
So I think our grandchildrenare gonna have a different
experience only because we'reasking the questions now.

(52:27):
And then back to the thingabout the flu vaccine, and I'm
not telling anybody not to get aflu vaccine, but this year's
flu vaccine was actually youwere 27% more likely to get the
flu with this year's fluvaccine.
It was that off the mark interms of the strain.

(52:50):
Wow, and so that wasinteresting.
Um COVID, I got the JJ vaccine.
I refused to get the mRNA.
And for my second vaccine, Ihad to call around town because
so few people had it, but I didwas able to secure the second
one.
Um, the the JJ, because I hadto be able to work because the

(53:14):
company I was working for at thetime, our customers were Pfizer
and Moderna.
And so we had to be vaccinatedto go on site by those
companies.

Speaker (53:24):
I I did not get the COVID vaccine, and I gotta say,
that was the hardest decision.
I didn't know what was right,what was wrong.
We saw these people in thehospital, we were in our homes,
and everybody's like, you seethese long lines of people going
to get vaccinated.
And you know, I just calledsome people that were in my

(53:48):
circle at the time and and stillare, the smartest people I
knew.
And what are your thoughts onthis vaccine thing?
Are you going to get thevaccine?
Are you getting the vaccine?
And and you know, I I read abook by Napoleon Hill, and he
talked about reaching out to allthe smartest people that you
know, and then take counsel withyourself, and then have like a

(54:12):
meditation, a time, and then tome it's God, and then make your
decision, let everything settle,and then make the decision from
within.
And that's what I did, and thething that I came out with, and
believe it or not, most peoplethat I knew at the time were

(54:33):
getting the vaccine, thevaccination.
But after I understood thereasons why they were doing it
and you know, so forth, and Icounseled with myself, I just
felt inside my gut that it wasjust not, it didn't make sense
for me to do that or any of mykids.
We were perfectly healthy andwe weren't going anywhere.
So what was you know, and I'mlike, we're just gonna sit home

(54:56):
and sit tight.
I just I didn't know what thatstuff was.
I just, yeah, so I didn't doit.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (55:02):
So here here was my rub with the whole thing was
I was watching people around meall getting vaccinated with mRNA
and then boosted, boosted,boosted, and they were all
getting COVID.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, yeah.
I was not getting COVID, yeah.
And I was out, I was working, Iwas going to the stores, doing

(55:25):
all the things, traveling.
You know, when I think Iactually got COVID was uh coming
back from Europe last summer.
And my husband and I just feltkind of crappy when we got home
and he lost his sense of taste.
And I was like, oh, maybe wehave COVID, but we didn't test
because it's basically a cold atthat point.
But I was talking to a friendof mine a couple weeks ago, and

(55:48):
she said she's still gettingboosts.

Kristin Brucker (55:50):
Wow.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (55:52):
Well, my doctor's offering them, and so I'm still
I'm still getting vaccinated.
I didn't even know it was stilla thing.

Speaker (55:58):
Me neither.

Kristin Brucker (56:00):
But I will say that time of my life was the
most stressful with having kidsin school because my son was
punished basically for not beingvaccinated.
Like he he would the COVIDwould outbreak, and just like
you're saying, all the peoplewith the vaccinated kids were
getting it.
Like he would be on a sportsteam, they would all get it.
He wouldn't get it, but hewould have to be quarantined

(56:21):
longer than them because theywere vaccinated.
Like the nonsensical, like, Imean, that's where my mind
really was just going crazy.

Michele Folan (56:29):
Yeah, nuts.
The whole thing was nuts.
You know, I do want to talkabout supplements because you
all talk about full script,which is a service that you all
get behind.
And and I and I love that.
Let's narrow it down a littlebit because supplements can get
really confusing and becausethere's so much out there.

(56:51):
Where where do you fall withthat?
Like, what are the truenon-negotiables for women over
40 in terms of supplements?

Kristin Brucker (56:57):
So, as functional medicine health
coaches, we don't prescribesupplements, but yes, we have a
full script store where peoplecan access professional grade
supplements and we also canprovide education.
And I will say that from ourguests, like definitely vitamin
D is kind of a non-negotiable.
And that's something that'soverlooked.
A lot of times you go to yourdoctor, they're not gonna test

(57:18):
what your level is, and we dorecommend testing to see where
you are before you startsupplementing.
Yeah.
Yeah, Raquel just found out shewas low.
And and anyone that lives inthe northern hemisphere really
is gonna be low.
Like we don't, we just aren'toutside that much and we don't
get enough sun, and we don'thave enough.
And vitamin Z is reallycrucial.
I mean, even if one of ourguests recently, it's a hormone.

(57:41):
It was shared recently that youeven have higher risk of type 2
diabetes, like if you are lowin vitamin D, which we learned
on our podcast recently.
And um, that I was like, wow,it's just so and and for some
reason in the conventionalmedicine, they don't really look
at that.
It's not necessarily going tobe on the radar.
It's becoming more, maybe, butit it hasn't been.

(58:02):
So that one we would saydefinitely.

Speaker (58:04):
The other thing I would say is uh another thing that
we've really learned, and evenlike with uh moms across
America, is that the way thatour food is produced in this day
and age has lost a lot of itsnutrient value.
It's not as robust as it oncewas, let's say, back in Little

(58:25):
House in the Perry Days, right?

Michele Folan (58:28):
So you're aging yourself.

Speaker (58:33):
So um, you know, and and Kristen would always, you
know, uh Kristen would have andI would have this conversation
and we would talk about likejust having a good multi
vitamin, you know, to to coversome ground.
And and then we learned theimportance of minerals.
We just had a guest on our, wehaven't published that one yet,
right?
She she just came on, butthat's a very that's gonna be I

(58:55):
it was really interesting.

Kristin Brucker (58:56):
Like we were and you can test, I guess, with
your hair, you could do a test.
Which was what your status is.
We're going to do it.

Michele Folan (59:03):
Yeah.
Oh, that'll be that'll bereally good.

Speaker (59:06):
Yeah.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (59:07):
Yeah.
So like magnesium and thingslike that.

Speaker (59:10):
Yeah, copper.
Yeah.
And she, you know, from myunderstanding, and I I we just
did this, and we just had her onthe podcast, and I haven't um
listened to the playback, butfrom what I recall, you know,
it's like the mineral, theminerals are so important
because they help navigatevitamins to to function better

(59:33):
or to their true functionalitythat they're the doesn't get
lost, like the calcium, right?
Kristen, she was talking abouthow calcium you can get, it can
get stuck in different places.
Uh, but the mineral will helpthe calcium get to where it
actually needs to be to be atits full functionality.

Michele Folan (59:50):
K2.
K2 and MK4.

Speaker (59:53):
Yeah.

Kristin Brucker (59:54):
So she shared, yeah, a lot of just how her own
story actually, where she wasshe was taking HRT and it wasn't
working that great.
And then once she had hermineral status, and minerals,
this is the thing, the stressdepletes it.
Okay, we're all stressed out.
Like Raquel said, our food isreally weak, it's just not the
same as it was years ago.
So we're more and more likelyto be mineral deficient

(01:00:16):
nowadays.
So we were really intrigued bythat whole thing.
That was really helpful.

Speaker (01:00:20):
Yeah, yeah.
And then the other thing I wantto say is a such a great point
that uh Kristen has always madewhen we decided to go, you know,
to uh partner with uh FullScript is that and I I'm guilty
of this too.
Getting our our our you know,our vitamins from like Amazon or

(01:00:40):
you know, you don't know thesource, you don't know how
they're storing these things,you know.
So having a good place whereyou're getting your vitamins
from is so important so thatyou're not just getting junk,
right?

Michele Folan (01:00:53):
Yeah, and because they they they mix those
inventories, you don't know.
Um, so I will put your if youguys give me the link um to your
full script oh perfect umstore.
Yeah.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Yeah, you got 25% off.

Kristin Brucker (01:01:09):
25% off.
So you're actually gonna savemoney.
It's gonna be cheaper thanAmazon, ironically, and comes
from a safe source, so it'sgreat.

Michele Folan (01:01:16):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I've I've told people Iwas like, yeah, you may not want
to get your supplements fromAmazon.
It's like, oh, you know, I knowit's convenient and it gets
here the next day, but yeah.
You know, it one of the one ofthe things that I really talk a
lot about is kind of my stay outof the nursing home strategy.

(01:01:37):
And where I I know we wanna wewanna look good now, you know,
we want our skin to look great,we want to fit in our favorite
jeans, look decent in thebathing suit, um, on the beach
for vacation.
But really the ultimate goal isto stay out of the nursing

(01:01:57):
home, be able to get up off thefloor, if should we fall, be
able to play with grandkids.

Speaker (01:02:04):
Yeah, it's longevity meeting a health span.

Michele Folan (01:02:07):
Yeah.
So if if you could encapsulateeach of you, what is that
strategy for you?
What is your longevitystrategy?

Kristin Brucker (01:02:16):
You want me to go first?

unknown (01:02:18):
Like silent.

Michele Folan (01:02:19):
Either one of you.

Kristin Brucker (01:02:21):
I mean, so this one is so important to me
because I feel like I I'm justI'm in that age, I'm 49.
I so many people I know, theirparents are aging, and it's just
not pretty.
Like the the loss of mobility,the depressingness of, you know,
maybe having to be in a nursinghome, the, you know, not being

(01:02:41):
the dementia is skyrocketing.
So many of my friends, I have,you know, parents.
So all of that matters a lot tome.
And I I want to, you know, whatis living, right?
Doing the things that you wantto do when you want to do them
and and enjoying life.
And that's not enjoying life ifyou have no mobility.
So for me, my like you'reasking what my non-negotiables

(01:03:01):
would be.
Like, definitely the strengthtraining.
I've actually always been astrength trainer, I but I have
tweaked it.
I've I am lifting heavier,carefully, strategically.
I do work with a trainer too,which I think is important.
I think it helps me forconsistency.
It also pushes me a littleharder than maybe I would if I
was just always doing it on myown, but I work out on my own as
well.
So that's a really importantpiece.

(01:03:23):
This one is probablysurprising, maybe to some
people, but like I try to cookat home mostly.
I don't eat out a ton.
I don't get a lot of takeoutbecause I know that when I cook
at home, I know what's in thefood.
And I know if I go to arestaurant, it's probably not
organic.
It's probably using, you know,unideal oils and things like
that.
So that's an important one forme.

(01:03:44):
I think as, and especially Ithink as I become an empty
nester, I think that'll beharder to just cook for maybe
just myself or just me and myhusband.
Like that that's harder.
So I think that that'ssomething important to me.
Um, the blood sugar piece hasturned into an important thing.
We are learning more and more.
We did an episode um withShanna Hussen.

(01:04:04):
She's a registered dietitianthat talks all about insulin
resistance.
And I know for sure, just fromme wearing my CGM and I'm in
that perimenopause where myhormones are all over the board.
And so um, I think thatregulating my blood sugar is
super important and keeping aneye on those numbers, like you
want to know your A1C.
So I think keeping track of myblood work is a part of it.

(01:04:26):
Like I have to know.
I can't just rely on the doctorin this case.
I have to know.
Um, and then also gettingoutside, because that's another
thing that I have not alwaysbeen good with.
Like I just, as my kids gotolder, spend a lot of time in
the car, driving people around,working on the podcasts, at my
desk, coaching people, thingslike that.
So it's just important to me.
And I'm trying to do betterwith that.

(01:04:47):
And I try to kill with twobirds with one stone with the
blood sugar, like after eating ameal, go outside for a short
walk or go look at sunset,things like that.
That in the past I never wouldhave even thought about doing.
So all those things.
And then connection is thefinal piece that is so
important.
Always focusing on friends andfamily and trying to stay
connected, even when sometimesyou don't want to do anything.

(01:05:10):
Like people ask me to dosomething, you know, and I'm
like, I have to, oh, I have toget dressed to go out and do,
you know, but yes, I do.

Speaker (01:05:18):
Like I have to put on unin so uh for me it's
definitely weight training.
So I've always weight trained.
Uh you know, interestinglyenough, I one of the things is I
would weight train, but I wouldbe like balls to the wall.

(01:05:42):
Like I would just try to pushas heavy as weight as I could
and and all these things.
So I've actually been moremindful about lifting heavy, but
also enjoying the training, notjust trying to kill myself or
trying to.
I don't know, whatever it is.
It just, it was more like apressure.

(01:06:03):
Like, I gotta do this.
I gotta, you know.
So more of enjoying the weighttraining, feeling my body, feel
like I'm feeling strong.
Um, not a place where I'mconstantly straining myself, um,
where like the next day, youknow, because that is wear and
tear.
So it's like being you findingthat that sweet spot.

(01:06:26):
That has been a thing becauseuh in the past I would work out
so hard, I mean, really hard,and I would try to do super
hard, crazy workouts, you know,and maybe it was an ego thing.
I don't know, because I coulddo it, and everybody would be
like, oh, look at Raquel, she'sso strong.
And I'm like, yes.
Right.

Michele Folan (01:06:44):
So I I do.
I'm only laughing because uhthis has been a recent epiphany
for me.

Speaker (01:06:53):
Yes, this is you jumping on the jump rope on the
treadmill.
I know, I was showing right.
So you I I yes, we're on thesame page, right?
That's me.
I used to go jogging, jumpingrope.
I would go jogging, jumpingrope, and it is a killer.
It is a killer doing that, letme tell you.

(01:07:14):
And then I would do itbackwards, jumping rope
backwards.
Okay, that's a that's gotbroken hip written all over it.
Yeah, so I would do all these,you know, off the cuff things.
But so I've been learning toweight train, but being more
mindful and being present andjust enjoying it, not to, you
know, try to whatever.
So that's that intentionalmovement.

(01:07:36):
So what I mean by that is, andthis was something that I've
just been doing in the recentyears, I'm 59 now, right?
So it's interesting.
The other day, I was look, Ijust was walking by and I just,
I don't know, this man caught myeye.
Uh, he was walking his dog downthe street, and it just it was
so quick.
I'm talking about a millimeterof a second that the thought

(01:07:58):
through my mind said, he's anelderly man because I could tell
by the way he's walking.
I could barely see him, but Icould see his gait movement, and
I knew that he was elderly justby the way he was walking.
And uh so if I'm gonna do aworkout, I'm going to really
open up my chest.
If I'm gonna do chest press,for example, I'm gonna do things

(01:08:19):
where I'm opening up my chest.
I'm really being using my fullrange of motion.
If something hurts, I'm gonnado everything in slow motion
first so that I can feel whereis the restriction?
Do I feel a restriction?
Is everything, you know, and Iwould go from there to there.
And then with each repetition,your range of motion increases
as your body opens.

(01:08:40):
Because the thing is, is thatwe start shriveling up as we are
getting right, the the processof aging, and you could start
going back into that fetalposition.
So I'm saying this is whathappens.
Like you have to be intentionalwith opening up your body and
saying, like, this is how youknow, just I move my arms in

(01:09:00):
every direction.

Kristin Brucker (01:09:01):
Make me want to do it right now.

Speaker (01:09:03):
Exactly.
Just open, I open up in everydirection my legs.
I lift up my legs forward, Ilift them up laterally,
backwards.
Um, I just do a different typeof trunk rotations, and it's
part of like my warm-up.
And it's it's a great warm-upto do because you whether you're
gonna work out or even just toas a mobility warm-up, just to

(01:09:25):
start your day.
So I think intentional movementis important, quality time.
I took an inventory of when Ifeel my fullest, filled with
joy.
When when do I feel feel filledwith joy?
Because there was a uh a littlepocket, uh uh, I don't know, I
think it was like toward theending of last year, which

(01:09:47):
wasn't too long ago, where I waslike, I felt like um I was
becoming too much of a like aworkaholic, maybe, you know.
I have the podcast, I have mymy training, you know, I have,
you know, my kid, just all thesethings, things that I had to
do.
But where was my joy?
Right.
Um, so I started just doing aninventory, uh, not intention,

(01:10:08):
just uh noticing how am Ifeeling right now is do I feel
like, ugh, do I feel joyful?
So, and I started noticing whenI'm around my grandkids, I felt
pure joy when I was around mykids.
And then even just even thepain in the ass, can I curse?
Even the pain in the ass of,you know, my son would call me,
mom, mom, you got to pick me up.
And I would have to go driveall the way to Rutgers, which is

(01:10:30):
like, you know, 45 minutes, andit would just completely
because it's like a two-hourblock now.
I have to go pick him up, driveback.
But I realized that I actuallylove that because I get to spend
that time with him in the carand I don't see him that much.
And that was something thatactually, even though it was
like initially, I'm like, oh,but then I'm like, oh no, but
I'm gonna be filled with joy.
You know, I'm going to befilled with joy.

(01:10:52):
So uh uh blood sugar tracking.
That's uh something that hasalso been a big longevity thing
because I'm able to make wiserchoices ever since I started
learning about it.
Uh and I just want to givekudos.
I'm gonna ask Kristen's helpright now to the two women that
started a group.

(01:11:13):
Um, they do like this groupthing.
It's a three-week, was it threeweeks, three week sessions,
right?

Kristin Brucker (01:11:19):
Yes, yeah.
It's a metabolism mastery.
It's all based on the CGM, andit'll share with you how insulin
is aging you and making you inflames and making and it's like
the missing piece.
So yeah, that's Michelle Doleand Alicia Harding.

Speaker (01:11:35):
Yeah, and I just want to say because they're they
invited us as the functionalmoms to attend their group to
like uh and give them feedback.
But I tell you, that was a gamechanger.
And also just being in thatgroup setting, we would meet uh
twice a week, right?
Was it twice a week?
Yeah, twice a week.
And it was they start from thevery beginning, what it is, how

(01:11:58):
you know, and just educate youon it.
I learned so many things that Ididn't know, and it just
empowered me to make betterlongevity health span choices
for myself.
And so that was a big gamechanger.
Uh, same like with Kristen, theoutdoor time, being intentional
with getting outside andletting that sun shine on my

(01:12:20):
face, whether it's hot, cold,whatever.
Getting the sunshine on myface, even if it means stepping
outside and just figuring outwhere the sun is and just
standing there.
So that's you know, going forwalks, just spending time in
nature.
And I think I mentioned thisbefore.
I oh no, maybe I had thisconversation with Kristen, I'm
not sure.

(01:12:41):
But sometimes I would go withmy grandson, we would go for a
nature walk.
I'm talking about it, could bein the middle of the street.
We don't live in the woods, butmaybe we'll go hiking in the
woods.
But if it's just going outside,Emmett, let's go for a walk.
And I just want you to listento what do you hear?
What do you hear?
Oh, I I hear the birdschirping, I hear the wind

(01:13:02):
blowing in the leaves, I hear acar down the road, I hear, you
know, I hear the footsteps, likejust listening, connecting.
Whew, that is like it's it'samazing.
And and then also, if ifpossible, I think, you know,
sleep hygiene is such a hugething.
And I I feel that when I andI'm not perfect with this, uh,

(01:13:26):
so you know, but I'm trying towalk my talk, and that is taking
walks at night, just the sameway I let that sunshine shine on
my face, I try to find themoon.
And I try to find the moon andI try to walk to where toward
the moon, like where it's at.
And I try to find, you know,it's so hard to find darkness.
And like if you live in a in astreet where all their homes

(01:13:47):
have lights on, but I try tofind the darkest area that I can
walk in and just be with thenight.
And uh, yeah, so those are mymy longevity things that I try
to be mindful of imperfectly.

Michele Folan (01:14:02):
Yeah, I I love all of those, and I'm like,
yeah, these are great.
I love them.
Yeah, these they're they'reterrific, and uh yeah, it so
also I'll put in the show notesthe the CGM folks.
Oh, that's so great.
Yeah, they're doing that areare doing that work, so I'll put
that in the show notes as wellif people are interested in

(01:14:23):
that.
I think the big takeaway withthis one is don't eat carbs by
themselves.

Raquel Cartagena (01:14:28):
Oh my gosh, yeah.

Michele Folan (01:14:29):
Always pair your carbohydrate with some fat or
preferably some protein.
I mean, that's that's like ruleof thumb, I think.

Speaker (01:14:37):
That is the rule of thumb, because let me tell you,
if I had I literally when I wason the CGM, I had I think it was
like three crackers.
Crazy.
Three crackers.
I went all the way to like 160in my wow it skyrocketed.
I was like, oh my lord.

Michele Folan (01:14:54):
Yeah, here I'm thinking even a bowl of fruit.
And we think a bowl of fruit'shealthy, but bowl of fruit will
do that.

Kristin Brucker (01:15:00):
Yeah, and our biggest takeaway too has been
just you know, don't try not toeat between meals because every
time you do that, you're spikingthat insulin, and it's just
better to just have your mealsand then give your put insulin
to bed, they say.
And at night too, the nighteating is the other kicker.

Michele Folan (01:15:16):
Yeah, and if and if anyone listening has not had
a fasting insulin blood testdone, that is your first thing
that it rears its ugly head.
So get that done.
All right, Kristen and Raquel,tell us where the listeners can
find you and your podcast,Functional Moms.

Kristin Brucker (01:15:38):
Absolutely.
So you can find Functional MomsPodcast on Apple Podcasts,
Spotify, and our YouTube page.
And we also are on Instagram,and our handle is at functional
moms podcast, and that's thesame handle for YouTube and for
Instagram.
We're also on TikTok, yeah, andLinkedIn.
You can find us on there too.

Speaker (01:15:58):
Anything else, Raquel?
Uh no, not that I can think of.
Yeah.

Kristin Brucker (01:16:02):
Facebook too.
We do have it.
We don't have a huge communityon there, but we do have people.
We we post to Facebook.
Yeah.

Michele Folan (01:16:07):
Yeah.
Okay.
Perfect.
All right, Kristen Brucker andRaquel Cartagena, and I learned
how to say your name correctly.
Thank you for being here today.
This was so much fun.
Thank you for having us.
Thank you.
Before you go, thank you forbeing here.
If you want to go a littledeeper, make sure you check out

(01:16:28):
the show notes for this episode.
That's where I link anything wementioned, resources, partners,
or tools I actually use andtrust.
And if you're not already onthe Asking for a Friend
community newsletter, that'swhere I share practical midlife
tips, favorite finds, recipes,and the things that don't always
make it onto the podcast orInstagram.

(01:16:48):
You'll find the link to join inthe show notes.
Take care, and I'll see younext week.